In Simple Pasta, Odette Williams makes homemade pasta easy, fun, and delicious. With just three base doughs, there are endless possibilities for creating memorable, transporting meals with friends and family. Of course, if you prefer (or just need the convenience of) store-bought pasta, that’s always an option too.

Discover new favourite and beloved classics, like:

• Beet and Carrot Agnolotti with Sage-Hazelnut Butter
• Creamy Wild Mushroom Gnocchi
• Cacio e Pepe
• Carbonara
• Beef Short Rib Ragù and Pappardelle
• Zucchini and Basil Casarecce
• Wicked White Bolognese
• Crispy Italian Sausage and Broccolini Orecchiette

Peppered throughout the book are recipes for side dishes, drinks, mains, and desserts, helping anyone recreate the laid-back elegance of la dolce vita at home. Seasonal menus showcase produce at its prime, creating pasta dishes that are singular and memorable. In Simple Pasta, Odette welcomes you to experience the everyday joy of pasta with the people you love.

Simple Pasta: Pasta Made Easy. Life Made Better. by Odette Williams is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Indigo.ca.  

Garlic Shrimp Mafaldine

Here, I’ve tried to re-create the sizzling garlic shrimp from Trieste, the Italian restaurant of my childhood. Look for shrimp with the heads on, since they add so much flavour to the sauce and give it a gorgeous coral-pink hue. If I can’t get whole shrimp, I prefer to buy them unpeeled. Wavy ribbons of mafaldine or the curly nooks and crannies of trumpet-shaped campanelle allow the shrimp to nestle into every bite. A friend prefers it when I make this recipe with angel hair pasta, so use whatever pasta tickles your fancy. I’ll often shower this with Garlic Butter & Chile Bread Crumbs. Either way, the heady aroma of butter, garlic, and shrimp cooking is one of life’s greatest pleasures, so enjoy!

Makes 4 servings

Store-bought pasta: 1 pound dried campanelle, mafaldine, or angel hair pasta

1½ pounds large whole uncooked shrimp, with heads and tails on

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 large shallots, finely diced

¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 8 garlic cloves, finely grated

2⁄3 cup dry white wine

Zest of 1 lemon, plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

3⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper

1 recipe Garlic Butter & Chile Bread Crumbs (see page 69), for serving

TIP
Lobster-like rock shrimp would also be delicious. Use kitchen scissors to cut through the hard shells and then remove the veins.

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
2. Cut off the head of each shrimp and set aside. Remove the tails, peel the shrimp, and discard the tails and shells. Using a sharp knife, make a shallow cut lengthwise along the back of each shrimp and then devein by removing the digestive tract with the tip of the knife, Cut each shrimp into three segments.
3. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt together the butter and olive oil, then add the shallots and red pepper flakes and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the reserved shrimp heads and continue to sauté for 3 to 4 minutes more, occasionally pressing down slightly on the heads with a wooden spoon to release the juices. Remove and discard the heads and any rogue bits of shell.
4. Turn the heat to medium-high, add the shrimp and garlic, and sauté until the shrimp are just pink, just a couple of minutes. Add the wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, chives, and ½ cup of the parsley; season with the salt and pepper; and sauté until the wine has reduced by half, 4 to 5 minutes. Keep warm.
5. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, accord- ing to package instructions. Using a large spider or slotted spoon, transfer the pasta to the shrimp sauce along with about ½ cup of the pasta water and toss to coat. Serve the pasta sprinkled with the bread crumbs and garnished with the remaining ½ cup parsley.

Reprinted with permission from Simple Pasta by Odette Williams, copyright (c) 2022. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Photographs copyright © Graydon Herriott.